1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to protective footwear and, in particular, to thermally reflective garments for use in environments where high radiant heat loads and/or high conductive heat loads may be encountered.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Firefighters and other emergency responders can be exposed to a variety of hazardous conditions such as flame, smoke, high heat, poisonous atmospheres, biological contamination and radiological contamination. Garments used by these professionals may be designed to protect against one or more of these specific conditions. Footwear, such as boots, may also be specifically designed and can be, for example, thermally insulated, waterproof, fire resistant or resistant to chemical attack. As one example, gear designed for use in proximity firefighting must be able to withstand extreme heat and should be capable of protecting the responder as provided in NFPA 1971: “Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting.”